Sirius Black's Sanctuary
by The Geeky Quill
Summary: After The Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius flees on Buckbeak to a tropical island and makes a new friend, a squib named Madeline. I've redone the last three chpts. R&R please. There's a video for this one at youtube. Youtube name: madelinemoody
1. Chapter 1

a/n: This begins at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban.

You can see a video I made for this story at my youtube page. My name is madelinemoody over there. The vid has the same title as the story.

Sirus Black's Sanctuary

by

The Geeky Quill

Prelude

Sirius Black sat nodding on the back of Buckbeak as the large hippogriff soared through the sky. Images skulked past Sirius's mind as he allowed the beast to carry him to safety. _Harry- his godson, Dementors- uh! No more dementors!, Remus, werewolf, Dumbledore's patronus_- the milky white phoenix had caught up to them as they fled Hogwarts and it spoke in Dumbledore's voice, "Fly south. Go to Seastar Island. Buckbeak knows the way." The hippogriff gave a loud call like a mighty eagle and wheeled around and headed south.

The memory felt all swimmy and dreamlike to Sirius now as they glided through the new morning sky.

Chapter One

_Once upon a time, on a beach of white sands a young wizard spied a maiden emerging out of the sea._

"Madeline!"

_Her slender form and long dark tresses-_

"Madeline! He's here!"

The small dark haired young woman tossed aside the parchment she was writing on and her quill and went running off on dirty bare feet, deftly skipping over a pile animal droppings to a clearing in the jungle. Soaring down from above came a travel worn hippogriff carrying a scruffy wizard in the filthy torn garb of a convict. The beast flew under the canopy of trees and landed gently on the damp jungle floor.

The wizard climbed down from his mount and barely surveyed his surroundings before he was nearly bowled over by the young women who collided with him with an _oof_ wrapping her arms around his tall, thin frame.

"You're here!" she squealed up at him.

"Er, I guess I'm expected?" he responded tentatively.

"Ha ha, I should have you sign something," said Madeline. He raised a brow in response thinking that the last time he checked, he wasn't a rockstar.

A tall witch with short grey hair and an athletic build walked up, chuckling. "You'll have to pardon Madeline's exuberance. She's been waiting a long time to meet you."

Before he had a chance to question this surprising remark, a balding wizard with a grey beard strode up with an outstretched hand. "Howdy there, Sirius" he said in a distinctive American accent. "I'm Willie Fischer, my wife Leela," he said, indicating the older woman, "and this here crazy critter's Miss Madeline Moody."

Sirius Black looked at each of them in turn, feeling a little bit off balance like he just stepped into an alternate universe. The older two people had on shorts and T-shirts. The wizard's shirt had on it a picture of a perfectly round, golden bird with a long, thin beak and red eyes and it said, "Protect The Snidgets." The younger woman was in a light blue dress. She was petite, pretty, and as enthusiastic as a niffler in a chest of galleons.

"Welcome to the island," said Leela warmly in her Irish lilt.

Madeline just stared at him with wide eyes and a giddy grin.

"Er...Thank You. Pleased to meet you all. I didn't know I'd be getting such a warm reception, or indeed any reception," he added with a small smile.

The hippogriff screeched and scratched the ground with one mighty front claw.

Leela's blue eyes flashed as she smiled at the animal and bowed. "Buckbeak, I'm not ignoring you, me lovely. It's been a while." He returned the bow and she walked up to stroke his withers and beak.

"_Great,_" thought Sirius incredulously, "_even Buckbeak knows more than I_."

"It's a hippogriff!" Madeline made a move toward Buckbeak, but was stopped short by Willie's hand as he batted her on the head in a friendly manner.

"Now hold on there missy," he drawled.

"_Tut!_ I know how to greet them." Madeline did a funny awkward little bow/curtsy thing and Sirius stifled a laugh. "Good day, I trust your journey was pleasant," she said in an affected genteel voice. Buckbeak bowed low. She approached and gave him a kiss between the eyes. Everyone tensed, fearing she would offend the powerful beast, but he gently rubbed his head under her chin. There was a collective sigh of relief. Willie broke the silence.

"Well, I expect you're tuckered out, Sirius. Some on. We'll show you the tree house," he said.

The raised hut, or "tree house," as it had been whimsically dubbed, stood rather unassumingly in an empty patch in a jungle on an un-chartable island. It was quite large, round, and slightly askew. It defied the rules of engineering and looked to be held up more by magic than the one stout wooden pole going up the center. All over the island there were a wide variety of plant and animal life, both magical and non-magical. The whole island was enchanted to be invisible to muggles and was protected with various charms against wizard poachers, for it was an animal sanctuary with a diverse population of wild and not so wild life, such as dricawls, fwoopers, snidgets, and winged goats, to name a few. Willie and Leela Fischer were the guardians of the sanctuary.

Later, Sirius sat on the bare wooden floor of the tree-house toying with a small hand mirror. Madeline knelt behind him trying to deal with his grungy, tangled mass of black hair hanging to his waist.

"I always knew you were innocent." She picked up her scissors. "I'm going to cut it. It's so matted."

"Go ahead. Chop off all my hair, Delilah," Sirius joked. "Err...have we met before?"

Madeline laughed loudly. "No _Samson_," she said, playing along with his joke. "We haven't, but my brother was in The Order, so _I_ knew about _you_. He's Alastor Moody, you know. Ha ha," she said as she watched loads of his black hair fall onto the floor. "Done!" she finally declared after running a comb through the remainder of his hair.

"Many thanks." He stood up and ran his fingers over his newly shorn head. Willie began to play a little bluegrass tune on a banjo and it felt like the hut could be somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, instead of a tropical island.

"I was eleven when they put you in Azkaban, but_ I_ knew you didn't do what they said you did," she bragged. "I told everyone so, but most people think I'm just a daft Squib. Maybe I am, but here you are, so maybe I'm not so daft!" she laughed. Smiling brightly, she watched from the floor as he stood up to shake out any loose hairs.

"This feels much better," he said as he scratched his scalp and flashed her a smile. Sirius Black had never suspected that a small girl somewhere in England had taken it upon herself to exonerate him to anyone who would listen, or at least tolerate her fervent blather with a pitying patience, and had done so for fourteen years. "You were in The Order, so you wouldn't have betrayed them, and I knew you wouldn't have killed Peter Pettigrew. He was your friend."

"I thought he was," he said bitterly. She tilted her head and looked at him quizzically. He continued, "He was the one who betrayed the Potters, staged his own death and framed me."

Her eyes widened. This came as a complete shock to her. "I...I didn't know," she stammered. It was humbling to realize she didn't foresee these facts in all her theorizing. He scratched his scruffy beard and eased himself back onto the floor. She looked into his eyes, "I'm so sorry." She brushed a few loose hairs off of his cheek and smiled gently at him.

It had been a long time since a girl looked at him the way she did now. She didn't seem to notice how drawn and thin he was. A mere shadow of what he once was. "Why didn't I know Moody had a sister?" he asked.

"Few people knew about me back then. My brother thought it was too dangerous with all those dark wizards hating him. He worried they would hurt me out of revenge." She stood up with a leap and swiped up her little blue towel and a wand.

"So you grew up here?"

Madeline plopped down in front of Sirius, handing him the wand. She held up a mirror for him. "No, no," she corrected him as he examined himself in the mirror. He notices how sunken his eyes looked and the dried blood still embedded in his whiskers. "I grew up in England."

"As did I," he said unnecessarily. He performed a spell to remove his grimy facial hair as she went on to explain that her brother sent her to the island to study the care of magical creatures and to "try and stay out of mischief."

He wiped at his face with the towel and stood up. Leela walked over holding a fiddle and bow. "Grand! Now we can see your face," she observed. "'Taint half bad," she said with a wink before walking away.

"I want to show you something," said Madeline. She crawled on her knees in a rather undignified fashion to a trunk. She came back in the same manner with a thick pink photo album with a unicorn on the cover. She plunked it down in front of him.

"What's this?" He opened the cover. His stomach lurched. Inside, he saw, as he flipped through, dozens and dozens of pictures and articles about him, the Potters, the war against He Who Must Not Be Named, the other members of The Order of The Phoenix. But most of it was about himself. There was even a magazine clipping with a baby photo of him. The caption read, "From Infancy to Insanity: The Making of a Killer." He shut the book in disgust and looked at her as if she were mad, but she just smiled happily.

"I've been collecting all of this since you were put into Azkaban," she said proudly. He felt a bit nauseated.

"Look. I just put this in." She flipped to the back to reveal a piece of parchment with handwriting on it. It simply said,

_Madeline,_

_You were right all along._

_We're sending him to you._

_R.J.L._

A crease appeared in his brow. "I don't understand."

She laughed. "It's from Mr. Lupin, silly. That's how we knew you were coming."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After a good night's sleep, a dip in the river, and a fresh set of clothes, courtesy of Willie, Sirius already looked like a new man in the khaki shorts and blue shirt with a picture of a tortoise on it. He followed Madeline obediently down rows of vegetables in the garden. Dappled sunbeams found their way through branches and leaves of the many and varied trees and were softened by a fine early morning mist. In this morning, like every morning on the jungle island, the air was full of sweet scents and melodies which seemed to be coming from every direction- birds, insects, a tune played on a fiddle on the other side of the tree house.

Madeline picked the ripest of the vegetables and put them into the wicker basket Sirius carried. Her feet and knees were muddy, but her face was glowing as she chatted matter-of-factly about her youth- how she was raised by her brother and the Weasleys because her abusive mother finally abandoned her. She flipped her long hair away from her face as she brought a tomato to her nose and shut her eyes to inhale the ripe scent. "I consider myself very fortunate," she said.

"How so?" His furrowed his brow and was confused, given what he'd just learned about her past. She was such an odd person.

She looked up at him quizzically. "Haven't you been listening?" She gave a slight laugh. "I had the Weasley family to take me in and I have the best brother in the world! What could have been better than that?"

He was momentarily speechless. She beamed up at him, stood and placed the tomato into his basket. "It's all right." Her voice was gentle. "I expect one loses the ability to see fair fortune when one is locked up for so long. You have suffered so much. I cannot give you back what you've lost. I'm so sorry." She lightly touched his hand.

She looked at him with such sympathy that he forgot his surroundings and just stared into her dark eyes. Suddenly she snatched the basket out of his hands and leapt like a muddy ballerina through dappled sunbeams out of the garden. "At least you can refresh yourself in Eden before you rid the world of evil," she called over her shoulder with a laugh. Two goats fluttered out of her way as she danced back to the house.

Sirius was left standing dumbly. He scratched the back of his head, looked around and thought, _"Eden_?"

_Eden_...Eden was the Gryffindor common room with his best friends just passing time. Eden was the Potters' house after he left home at sixteen. Eden was the collection of memories he clung to even as dementors dragged him down to despair in Azkaban. How can this be Eden when the ones he cared about most were absent? James and Lilly were dead. Remus and Harry were far away. "_I'm a coward for running away so far from Harry_," was the lash with which he mentally whipped himself. And then there was Peter. Sirius ground his teeth at the thought of Wormtail, that trader. Then he took a long breath of fresh sweet air and shook off his dark thoughts and looked toward the hut and Madeline ascending the rope ladder and thought, "_Eden_."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sirius lay on the floor unable to move. Dementors were surrounding him. He was in Azkaban again with no escape this time. Everything in his heart was hopeless despair. Then he saw James's face beside him, cold and white with death and then it turned into Harry's face. He heard a scream. It got louder and louder, and it turned into his own voice. He sat up suddenly, panting, covered in sweat. It was dark, but there was a voice beside him and somebody was touching his shoulder.

"It's ok, Sirius. You're here in the tree house," whispered Madeline. He was trembling. She sat down on the bed beside him and stroked his hair tenderly, like a mother soothes a child.. He wrapped his arms around her, put his face on her shoulder and began to weep. They stayed that way for some time before he pulled back.

"I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse and he wouldn't meet her eyes. "What you must think..."

"It's alright, Sirius, really it is," she assured him sweetly. "Alastor has nightmares sometimes too." She took his hand in hers. "Sleep now," she whispered as she lay down beside him. He laid back down and put her hand to his lips, shut his eyes, and slept peacefully the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sirius was sitting next to Leela on the porch. He was examining Madeline's mandolin and Leela was stringing and tuning her fiddle. _Plink plunk_ They were both sniggering at Madeline as she tried unsuccessfully to milk a flying goat- the same breed that was depicted on the borrowed T-shirt that Sirius was wearing. The shirt also had the emblem of WETA (Wizards for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Sirius had never heard of such an organization, but then again, he had been shut up in Azkaban for quite a while.

A small owl fluttered down and landed on Madeline. She removed the bird from her shoulder and the scroll from its leg. It's a letter from Alastor. She set the owl on a nearby branch and read the letter. "So much for retirement," she said to herself. She climbed most of the way up the rope ladder to lean on the porch where Leela and Sirius were sitting. She stood on the ladder which was swinging precariously under her feet. Leela cringed slightly lest she should slip on the rung, but said nothing.

"Dumbledore has asked Alastor to teach at Hogwarts this fall. That's odd."

"Not so odd, dear," observed Leela. "He has a lot he can teach to young witches and wizards."

"He's supposed to be retired. He shouldn't be overextending himself at his age," she argued protectively.

"He's a sight younger than Dumbledore himself and not so much older than I," Leela laughed.

"Still, I shouldn't have left him to come here," sighed Madeline. "Then maybe he wouldn't have agreed to take on a job. I probably should be home taking care of him right now,"she mused importantly while rocking the rope ladder under her.

"Your brother most certainly does not need 'taking care of,'" argued Leela.

Madeline wrinkled her nose and frowned. She looked away from her cousin, pretending she didn't hear that last comment, and said, "I hate goats."

Meanwhile, Sirius was staring at a random point in the trees, thinking. He was uneasy with this news...about Moody being asked to come to Hogwarts, not about Madeline's dislike of goats.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_M,_

_Got your last letter. Alastor is going to be fine. You are so mellow dramatic. A huge clutch of ridgebacks just hatched. One whines more than all the others put together. I named it 'Madeline.'...etc._

"Bah!" exclaims Madeline with a snort, startling Sirius.

"Merlin's beard, Madeline! I almost fell," he said, clutching the railing on the deck of the tree-house where they were both sitting.

"Sorry," she said absently and went back to reading Charlie's letter.

"You _would_ be sorry if I fell." Sirius threw one of the nuts he'd been tossing to the colorful birds at her head.

"Ouch! Don't be such a baby," she laughed. "We're not that high. Why, I've jumped from higher when I was a child" she bragged casually and went on reading the parchment. They had become quite comfortable with each other in the few short weeks he'd been there.

"Lemme see that." He tried to take the parchment from her.

"Don't be so nosy. Go write your own letter," she said.

"You and Charlie write almost daily. I just want to see what he writes." Sirius hoped that didn't sound jealous and wished he could take it back.

"You do have a godson, in case you have forgotten." Her comment stung. "You've only written to Harry once since you've been here."

"I haven't forgotten," he said defensively. "I'm trying to be cautious."

"Write to him." She shoved some parchment, quills, and ink toward him. He frowned at the pink ink and then chose a bottle of black.

"It will be Harry's birthday soon," he said quietly, feeling a bit guilty that he hadn't written more often.

"Then you have to bake him a cake!" she said excitedly.

"A cake?" he said, as if he had never heard of such a thing as a cake for a birthday.

"Yes. From what you say, those Dursley's won't bother." He just looked blankly at her. "_Tut_, do I have to do everything myself?" she asked.

"No!" Then quieter and humbler, he said, "Will you help me?"

She smiled warmly. "I'd love to!"

Later that day, Sirius was standing on the balcony with a towel held over his head like a parachute, looking down uncertainly. "You really used to do this at the Burrow?" he asked.

"Aye. Sometimes from the second floor window," she exaggerated, trying to impress.

"All right. I'll do it then."

"Well, if you really want to, but-" She stopped mid-sentence and her eyes got big as she watched him leap off the balcony, the useless towel held over his head. He hit the ground hard.

"Uhg!"

Madeline scrambled down the ladder. He frowned up at her. "That hurt! You really did this as a kid?"

She stifled a giggle. "I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. We did this all the time but it never actually worked. We got hurt all the time, well, mostly I did," she admitted. "I broke my leg twice and Bill turned his ankle pretty badly. Charlie never gets hurt, though. Molly is still angry at Arthur for telling us about Muggle parachutes." She offered her hand to help him up. He grabbed it and then yanked her to the ground beside him.

"Agh!" she exclaimed.

He shook his finger at her in mock anger. "You tricked me on purpose."

She blushed. "Maybe," she said in a small voice, "but I am sorry." She let her hair fall into her face and tried to look innocent.

"It's fine. It takes more than that to hurt me." He stretched his arms out to casually show his thin, but strong arms. Madeline gave an amused smile and rolled her eyes at his display.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A gentle, but persistent rain was falling about the jungle causing a mossy aroma to permeate the air. Madeline was lying on her stomach upon a blanket with a quill in hand and a parchment laid out in front of her. She kicked her feet in the air and rested her cheek on her hand in a considering way.

Finally, she began writing.

_Charlie, My Dear and Honored Friend,_

_I trust this billet finds you well. _

With a _Thwap_ Sirius knocked her arm out from under her head.

"Hey!" exclaimed Madeline.

"Billet?" he guffawed.

"It means 'a note,'" she explained in mock haughtiness.

"I _know_ what it means, but people don't say that."

"I do. And you did _not _know what it meant."

He leaned closer to examine her parchment. "'Honored friend?' So, Charlie should feel honored to be your friend?"

"It doesn't mean that. It means..." She bit the tip of her tongue in thought.

"Well?" he urged with a smirk.

She gave a snort laugh and said vaguely, "I read it in a book- some 18th Century novel, I think."

Sirius grinned, shook his head and went back to strumming on a guitar. A sudden thought occurred to him. "You'd best not mention me to Charlie in case the bird is intercepted."

"I'm not stupid," exclaimed Madeline with indignation.

A playful look crossed his face in response, but before he could open his mouth, she pointed a finger at him. "Don't say it." A smile threatened to appear on her lips. She sneered to cover it up and pretended to be miffed and went back to writing.

_...Charlie, I wish you would come visit me. Last summer you went to Egypt and now you're going to see a silly Quidditch match? Really! I know, it's the World Cup; how could you resist? No matter. You'll just have to do without me. How you will manage, I shall never know._

_Your True and Adoring Friend,_

_Miss M.E.Moody_

_P.S._

_You'd better be cheering for Ireland._

Sirius gave a barklike laugh after reading it over her shoulder. "It's a bit arrogant, don't you think?"

"Nonsense. Charlie knows I'm just playing."

"Just playing?"

"Yes. I've known him for ages. He's my very best friend." She smiled wistfully as she began drawing little pictures in the margins. She didn't notice that Sirius grew quiet because she herself did too.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sirius was laying on a blanket on the jungle floor. Scattered around him were wizarding newspapers, a couple of pieces of parchment with some writing on them, and Madeline's pink unicorn photo album which was open. He was gazing at a magazine clipping in the album. Madeline walked up just then.

"See how good I looked back then?" he pointed out.

Madeline snort-laughed. "Surely you aren't serious!"

"I am Sirius, and don't call me Shirley," he joked.

She giggled and dropped down onto the blanket beside him. "I think you look better now." It was his turn to snort.

"You are insane," he said.

"Yeah, but that's beside the point. You were too pretty then and you knew it. I can just tell from how you posed. I think you look more handsome now," she said.

"Pretty?" he exclaimed. "I'll have you know, all the girls at school liked me."

"So modest!" she laughed.

He took a double take at her T-shirt. "What are you wearing?" Her shirt was light blue, had a picture of three small dogs, and it said, "Sirius Puppy School."

"Oh, this?" she said, "I was wondering when you'd notice. I used to work there." He began to laugh loudly. "What?" she continued, "It's not _that_ funny." He held his side and continued to belly laugh.

Then, when he was able to compose himself, he said, "I'll show you why it's so funny." Then right before her eyes he transformed into a large black dog. All she could do is gape at him. He barked loudly, his voice echoing through the jungle. A smile formed on Madeline's lips.

"Oh my!" she gasped. "I didn't know you could do that!" She patted him on the head just as he transformed back into his human form.

He grinned at her, "I'm an animagus."

"Oh, I see. I never knew anyone who could do that. I know a girl who can change her appearance, like her hair color, the shape of her nose, and stuff like that, but never anybody who could become an animal. It sort of fits your personality, some how," she mused.

He blinked at her, not sure if this was a compliment or an insult. "How do you mean?"

"I don't know. I guess-" but her thought was interrupted by the arrival of an owl bearing a letter. It alighted on the blanket between them and pecked gently at Sirius's hand. He took the parchment from its leg.

"It's from Harry." While he read the letter, Madeline popped off to fetch some tea.

When she returned, he was still looking at it. She set down the tray and sat beside Sirius.

"Oh, thanks," he said absently. He was deep in thought. She craned her neck to get a look at the letter. He turned it to toward her so she could read it better.

She turned to him. "His scar hurts? What's it mean?"

"I don't know, but it's not good. Something is going on. There are too many things that suggest something is gravely wrong," he said.

"Is that why Dumbledore asked Alastor to come to Hogwarts?" she asked. He nodded in reply. "I knew it. I knew something felt wrong. Remember how I said-"

"Yes, yes," he interrupted her. "I just have to think about what to tell Harry."

She put her hand on his arm. "It's time for you to go back."

"You're right," he said quietly. He bit his lip in thought. He didn't want to leave her behind, but he couldn't ask her to come. He was a marked man- too dangerous.

"What are you thinking?" she suddenly asked.

He wondered why she always asked that at the exact moment he didn't want to say. "I'd better get ready to go."

She put a cup of tea into his hand. "You don't have to leave this instant. You can go in the morning."

She sat silently watching him ruminate into his cup for about a quarter of an hour. Then he looked up at her. "Madeline," he had a pained look. He took her hand in his and swallowed hard and leaned toward her face. She shook her head and pulled back.

"No," she said. He looked hurt.

"But I-," he began.

"Shhh," she hushed him. "Sirius, it's your job to look after Harry. Don't get distracted, especially by me. I was an orphan and I know what it means to need somebody on your side. He really needs you."

"Wow. You should have given me that speech the first day. I'd have gone back right away."

She smiled slyly. "I guess I was being a bit selfish."

"I love you," he confessed.

"No, you don't. You hardly know me." She got up to walk away and he leapt up to follow.

"Do you love me?" he asked. She paused but didn't turn around.

"Yes," she said. He put a hand on her arm, but she removed it gently and turned to him. "Not... like that."

By the next morning, Sirius had written back to Harry to tell him that he was on his way and Madeline and Leela had packed Sirius a bag of food and spare clothing. He and Buckbeak were ready to go. Sirius looked much healthier than he had when he came to the island. His cheeks were fuller and had a healthy tan, his were eyes brighter, and his hair and beard were clean and well groomed.

"Have a good trip," said Willie as they shook hands.

"Thanks."

Leela gave him a hug. "Be careful out there, Sirius."

"I won't," he responded playfully.

Then he came to Madeline who had tears in her eyes. He embraced her and kissed her cheek. He whispered, "Do you love Charlie?" She frowned and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her go.

"That's none of you business," she snapped in uncharacteristic defensiveness, but Sirius was unruffled.

"You should tell him," he said with a warm smile. He saw her become flustered and gave his bark-like laugh as he released her, swung the pack of provisions onto his shoulder, and leapt onto Buckbeak's back. "Thanks for everything!" he shouted as he took off. They waved and shouted their goodbyes as he flew out of sight.

Some time later, Madeline was reminiscing through her pink unicorn photo album and came upon this note:

_Dear Madeline,_

_Thanks for the puppy training and for a taste of Eden. _

_Love, _

_S.B._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

One day, a large gray owl suddenly flew into the tree house and landed on top of Madeline's head. "Er," she rolled her eyes to look up at it. "Well, aren't you friendly? And heavy too," remarked Madeline. Leela leaned over and removed the bird from her cousin's head. Madeline took the envelope from its leg and read it.

"Who's it from?" asked Willie as he leaned on his guitar.

"Dumbledore! Wow, I finally got my Hogwarts letter!" And then she read the letter inside. Her mouth flew open. She went pale.

"What is it?" asked Leela, taking the letter. Madeline's reaction didn't panic her. The young woman was apt to be as mellow-dramatic as the heroine in a B-movie, but what Leela read made her gasp. "Alastor was captured by a Death Eater who impersonated him all school year. He was locked in his own trunk for months."

"You're kidding," said Willie.

"No, she's not," said Madeline sadly.

Leela read further. "Dumbledore has sent a portkey." Madeline opened the parcel tied to the bird's other leg.

"It's a ball of green yarn," said Madeline.

"It's going to leave at sunup tomorrow," said Leela.

"I want to go _now_!" exclaimed Madeline in a fit of impatience that would put a three year old to shame.

The following morning, just before sunrise, Leela shook Madeline awake. She rolled over without opening her eyes.

"Mmm, too early," groaned Madeline.

"Come on, the portkey leaves at sunrise," said Leela.

"Whose stupid idea was that?"

"Dumbledore's, and you thought it wasn't early enough," said Leela.

"Ohmm," Madeline groaned again as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. "No, I said it wasn't_ soon_ enough. That's a very different thing."

"Did you pack?" asked Leela.

"No," she replied, rubbing her bleary eyes. "I forgot."

Leela grabbed Madeline's suitcase and flung it open. It was full of books, parchments, ink, drawings, letters (mostly from Charlie), photos...in short, loads of memorabilia, and very little of anything practical. Leela sighed like an exasperated mother. Madeline grabbed a random dress off the floor and changed into it as Leela hastily began pulling things out of the suitcase.

"Oi! What are you doing?" asked Madeline.

"Making room for clothing."

"Don't do that." Madeline plopped to the floor and picked up the parchments. She held them in her hands. Leela packed a few pieces of clothing. Madeline jammed some of the papers back into the suitcases. "At least I want to take these. They're from Charlie."

"After you see to your brother, you can go to Romania and visit Charlie in person." Leela shut the case. "I've been telling you that's where you belong." Then she muttered something inaudibly as they emerged from the curtain.

Willie was sitting on a cushion with a fwooper on his arm and his wand out. These birds had to have a silencing charm put on them periodically or their voices drove a person mad, much like the sound of a girlfriend when one forgets Valentine's Day.

"Bye, Willie." Madeline bent down to hug him.

"So long, little lady," said Willie.

Leela hugged her cousin and then thrust the suitcase into her hand. Madeline went to grab the ball of yarn, but it rolled onto the floor and away toward Willie. "Hurry, dear," said Leela. Willie raised his foot out of the way of the rolling green portkey, having no desire to leave the island. Madeline dove for the yarn. Her hand touched it but the rest of her body didn't hit the ground until she landed in Scotland.

"I detest porkeys," said Madeline while she waited, crouched on all fours, for her brain to stop ringing. She stood up on wobbly legs and went to rattle the Hogwarts gate. "Dumbledore! I'm here!" she called. Then she sighed, feeling foolish and discouraged, and leaned her back on the fence and slithered down to sit and wait. It felt like a good time to play some tunes. "Gah! I didn't bring my mandolin or a guitar."

Suddenly she heard the gate unlock and a gruff voice say, "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to keep ya waitin' there." She stood up and turned to see a massively large hairy man accompanied by a massively large boarhound. "Dumbledore told me you were commin', but I got caught up in tendin' to the animals. Well, you're here now," he said.

She smiled warmly up at the tall groundskeeper. "It's all right, Hagrid," she said. "No harm done." She used his name and enjoyed making believe that she belonged at the wizarding school. She stepped in the gate.

"Oh, ya know me name, Miss Moody?" he said as he shut the gate and re-locked it.

"Call me Madeline. We sort of met a few years back. I was the girl who got caught riding an unauthorized thestral." She'd have known him anyway, having etched in her brain the faces of the members of the Order of the Phoenix who appeared in a photo her brother kept and there was certainly no mistaking Hagrid, even though the photo was taken many years ago.

"Oh yeah! That was you? Friend of the Weasleys I if remember right."

"That's it," she said.

"Well, Madeline, may I show you up to the castle?" he asked cordially.

"I was only here the one time, but I think I remember it. Great big stone thing with towers and crenelated battlements?" she said with a wink.

He chuckled. "That's the one."

"Lovely. I hope to see you later." She shook his large hand, and smiled. Then, quick as a wink, she sprinted up to the school.

Madeline reached the door to the castle and to her dismay, it was locked. "Oh bother!" She pounded on it. "Ouch." She stepped a few paces back and ran at it, turned at the last moment and gave it a beautifully executed flying back kick and then promptly fell to the ground hard. The door opened and an elderly man with thin gray hair wearing a long brown coat stood wheezing at her.

"Oh, hello," she said from the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked with a bitter look on his thin face.

"Suffering silently," she said as she stood up slowly, assessing for damage. "Dumbledore is expecting me." She tried to grab her suitcase with her right hand, but winced. "I think I broke my hand," she exaggerated. She held out her aching hand at him, but he just looked at it as if she were offering him a whole raw fish.

Madeline was accustomed to magical folk who fixed all sorts of things for her in an instant. The exception was her brother, who had decided when she was about twelve that she was growing too careless, so he often made her solve things the Muggle way. Ever since they accepted the fact that she was a Squib, he didn't want his sister to grow up being too dependant on the wizarding world. Most other wizards didn't share this view and kindly helped her as they would a child or an imbecile. Most of the time, she hated being treated like an incompetent, but sometimes she found it convenient.

"Er," she said, "Can't you fix it for me?" Her hand was still thrust out in front of her, but the pose was growing awkward.

"I don't do that," he replied gruffly.

"Why?" She pouted.

He glared bitterly. That was _the_ glare -_her_ glare. She glanced at his hands -no wand.

"Are you?" she began and flabbergastedly bit her bottom lip.

"What?" he replied, "Handsome? Clever? Sexy?" He said as his scruffy cat rubbed on Madeline's foot.

She took the moment to notice with mild alarm that she neglected to wear shoes and wondered briefly if Leela had packed any, or if, indeed, it would matter. Then she came back to the present situation.

"Um," she said, "A Squib?"

"Two points for the strange girl for not being a complete pudding head," he said. She laughed cheerfully, which took him aback.

"Well, don't you see?" she said with excitement. "I'm a Squib too!"

"That's not going to gain you entrance into the castle," he said without even a hint of a smile.

She groaned, exasperated. "I'm expected. I'm Madeline Moody, Al- er, Mad-Eye's sister. Dumbledore sent for me." The memory of why she was there came flooding back and she had a strong urge to simply shove the caretaker aside and find her brother herself.

"I was not told this," he said with a crooked toothed sneer.

"Mr. Filch," said a dark robed figure who had just now come up behind him. "Unless I'm mistaken, this person is Professor Dumbledore's guest, Miss Moody."

"Yes," she smiled in relief. "Madeline, if you please," she said pleasantly as she picked up her bag with her left hand and moved past Filch wrinkling her nose at him in a sassy _I told you so_ sort of way.

"This way, Miss Moody," said the wizard stiffly as he turned and walked down the corridor.

"So, where are we going, Professor Snape?" she asked, trying to sound clever by knowing his name. He was unreactive as he said steadily, "The hospital wing."

When they arrived, she rushed past the professor to get to her brother's bedside. His face was ashen and worn. Beside his bed, on the table, lay his wooden leg and magical eye. Madeline leaned over him and stroked his gray hair which had great patches torn out by the Death Eater, Barty Crouch Jr., who had used it to make the Pollyjuice potion which allowed him to masquerade as Professor Moody all school year. She kissed his forehead and spoke softly to him. She completely forgot Professor Snape, who still stood in the doorway watching the reunion. Madeline knelt down beside her brother's bed and held his gnarled hand. He opened one eye. The other one that usually contained the magic eyeball remained pinched shut.

"How did ye get here?" His voice was weak and hoarse.

"When I found out what happened, I just started running and didn't stop until I got here," she smiled. He chuckled feebly.

"Actually, I came via a ball of green yarn but that doesn't sound as plausible. When can we go home?" she asked.

Madam Pomfrey, the magical healer at Hogwarts, had just come up behind Madeline. "He can't go until he's stronger and he won't get any stronger if he keeps refusing his potion and doesn't eat," she said curtly.

Madeline frowned. "Alastor, you have to eat. Look at you. You're wasting away."

"I'd been meaning to go on a diet. Retirement is so fattening," he croaked with a lopsided grin.

"Very funny." Madeline turned to look up at Madam Pomfrey. "He doesn't trust anybody else's hand on his food. May I go to the kitchen and cook him something?"

"Certainly," said the healer.

"Alastor, if I made you something, would you eat?" she asked.

He grabbed her wrist and looked grimly at her with his one eye. "What song did I used to sing ye to sleep with?"

She rolled her eyes. "That's the test? That's an easy one, 'The Bonnie Witch Beside the Shores of Kilkee.' Don't worry. I am me."

"Aye," he replied and then they started humming the tune together.

Then she kissed his hand, stood up, and said, "I'll be back soon."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Madam Promfrey turned to Snape, who suddenly felt trapped and awkward. "Professor," she said, "Since you evidently aren't busy, would you mind showing Miss Moody to the kitchen?"

"Not at all," he said coolly. He turned. "This way, Miss Moody."

She followed him, only briefly pausing to have her hand healed by Madam Pomfrey.

"My, you_ are_ giving me the grand tour of the castle today, aren't you?" she said as she followed the professor down the corridor.

"So it would seem," he answered dully.

She got impatient at his slow gait and thought the castle was too big and dark and the people altogether unfriendly. It had the air of a gothic novel, with the ancient portraits, tapestries, her sullen guide. She spoke the first random quote that popped into her head. "Without those doors there stood the lofty and enshrouded figure of the lady Madeline of Usher. There was blood upon her dress."

"What?" He swung his head round to glare at her.

Startled, she flinched. "It's a Poe thing...er, American...um, Muggle poet," she stammered.

"No, he's not," said the professor.

"Of course he is," said Madeline.

"He's a wizard, Miss Moody. Do you think I am ignorant on the topic of wizard literature?"

"Apparently so." She tended to get cattish when she felt frustrated and she was good and well frustrated. "Come please. Let's keep going." She made little sweeping motions with her hands as though she were trying to push him along the corridor.

His heel clicked on the tiled floor as he turned to proceed to the kitchen. "And it's 'white robes,' Miss Moody, not 'dress,'" he said, referring to the story.

They were both quiet in their own thoughts the rest of the way.

"It's through this door-" he began.

"Fine, thanks, you can go now," she said hastily.

"You are dismissing me?"

"Thank you, I can take it from here," her voice began to crack. She looked away from him.

Without a word he turned the corner and walked away. Halfway down the corridor, he stopped, realizing he hadn't shown her the way to open the magical door. He went back. Before he rounded the corner, he heard a choked sob. He paused to curse under his breath before dragging himself back to her. She was kneeling on the floor, her face buried in her hands crying hysterically.

"Miss Moody." He looked around helplessly. "Please. Don't...um, don't do that." He looked around furtively again and then crouched down in front of her. "I'm sorry," he said nervously. I didn't mean to upset you."

She shook her head. "It's not y-y-you," she choked. "I-I-I'm c-c-crying because Alastor c-c-could have died." A fresh batch of sobs escaped her lips.

"He's going to be fine." He handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Thank you." She dabbed her eyes. "He looks so weak and helpless lying there. I mean, _'gasp'_ I've seen him after b-battles before. He would get '_choke'_ wounded, but I always thought he was indestructible. He's not and I don't know what I'd do if '_sob'_ he..."

Snape was about to pat her shoulder but pulled his hand back awkwardly at the last moment.

"I neglected him for months because _'hiccup'_ I was unhappy about him taking this job and _'hiccup'_ mad thathe didn't tell me our great great grandmother was '_hiccup sniff'_ a selkie."

"What?" He suspected the girl was going mad.

"A selkie. It's a sort of seal person."

"I know what a selkie is," he said.

"Well, _'sniff'_ that's why I didn't write to him again. I'm so stupid!"

"It'll do nobody any good for you to have a self-pity party in the corridor." He took her arms and lifted her to her feet. "Compose yourself, Miss Moody. There's nothing you can do about letters and selkies at this time."

"You're right," she said dabbing her eyes. She took a deep cleansing breath, smoothed her hair, and asked, "How do I look?"

"Red and puffy," he observed.

She laughed and made to hand him back his handkerchief but he said, "Keep it. You may need it again. And you may want to consider wearing shoes. The castle can get quite chilly."

"Thank you, Professor."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Alastor tapped his wand on the battered black door of number twelve Grimauld Place. Several clicks were heard before it swung open. Madeline and her brother stepped inside the dark hall. Madeline wrinkled her small nose.

"It smells musty. Can't we open a window?" she said.

Alastor ignored her and shut the door which re-locked itself. Scuttling noises could be heard behind the skirting board as they walked down the hallway.

"Does Sirius have pets?" asked Madeline.

"It seems he does now," came a familiar voice.

Madeline's eyes lit up. "Sirius!" She ran to him and they hugged.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Lovely," she beamed.

"Hello Alastor." The two men shook hands. "Dumbledore would like to see you about..."

"Yeah, yeah," said Alastor. He turned toward his sister. "Don't get into mischief."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child, you know."

"Sometimes I wonder," he muttered as he stumped off.

"Come on, let me show you around." Sirius took Madeline's hand and they walked to the sitting room.

"I can't believe you grew up here. It's not you at all," observed Madeline looking around the gloomy room.

"That's why I moved out at sixteen. I wasn't exactly the son my parents hoped."

"Neither was I," she smirked.

He laughed, recalling her history. Then he picked up a guitar that was leaning against a grandfather clock. and leapt over the back of the sofa and plopped himself down onto it. Madeline kicked off her shoes and climbed nimbly over it and sat with her feet up expectantly looking at the guitar.

"I've been practicing that song," he smiled.

"Which song?"

"You know, the one you made up." He strummed and sang, "_Strangers on this rode we are on_."

She snickered. "I didn't make that up! It's from a Muggle band, The Kinks. Something you had said just reminded me of it, is all."

"Oh," he chuckled.

"So go on. Let's here it," she urged..

He kicked off his own shoes and put his feet up on the sofa and played rather well and sang even better. Madeline joined him in singing the Chorus. "_We are not two. We are one_."

They laughed, talked and sang for the better part of an hour just as though no time had elapsed since they were last together, as old friends can do, even though their entire time together on the island had amounted to no more than a handful of weeks.

This is how they were, on opposite ends of the sofa with their bare feet entwined, when Professor Snape entered. He looked at the two of them and his eyes narrowed. "Does the Order have yet another useless member or is she merely employed as your playmate, Black?" sneered Snape.

Sirius got to his feet and was about to rip into him when Madeline cut in with a laugh and said in teasing sauciness, "Oh Professor, you're just envious because I've got a top secret mission."

"And what would that be?" he asked icily.

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," she winked with a grin.

He was about to reply when Dumbledore and Moody walked in.

"Come dear, no more time for death threats. We're going," said Alastor.

She stood up on the sofa and kissed Sirius on the cheek. "Bye now."

"Don't go," he said.

Alastor said, "We'll be back on Thursday."

"Tomorrow I start my new assignment," said Madeline enthusiastically. "Hello and goodbye Dumbledore," said Madeline. She turned to Snape, "It was nice to see you professor." He didn't reply.


	11. Chapter 11

a/n: this is practically identical to ch 16 of "Dragons Fly." I've decided it needs to be in this story too. As I said in my bio, all of these little stories are really one long story.

Chapter 11

One morning, the faint light of the newly risen sun poked through the curtain in Madeline's room. She put her arm over her face with a small groan, then sensing a presence, she sat bolt upright and turned to see her brother sitting stock still, fully dressed,. including cloak and boots. He was leaning on his staff and looking at his hands. He slowly met her gaze. She got a queasy feeling in her stomach. She knew whatever it was, she wasn't going to like it. She had a strong urge to leap out of the window, but decided she'd rather face it, whatever it was.

Her own voice broke the silence. "Who's dead?"

He flinched ever so slightly and said in a hoarse whisper, "Sirius."

Time took a respectful pause as the name washed over her skin. She resisted so that it didn't sink in right away. Once it did, it hit her heart like a concussion and she felt dizzy. She turned away from Alastor to study the curtains. How could everything in the room be so still and quiet with all the commotion going on inside her? How dare the sun keep on rising?

_Sirius Dead_...the two words didn't match at all, like _purple devotion_. The two concepts were incongruous.

"No" was all she was able to utter, but to deny a truth wasn't the same as changing it. She covered her head in her blanket and rolled into a tight bundle and began to cry.

"Dear," Alastor began.

"No, go away," she commanded. He obeyed.

_His face_...She had read somewhere that sheep, common muggle sheep, could remember the faces of fifty other sheep for over two years. Why couldn't she call to mind Sirius's face when she had only just seen him two days ago? He had begged her to come the following day, which was yesterday, but she was too busy. _"Too busy_." She didn't know it at the time, but those words had hung over her head from a thin piece of string. The string had snapped at some point last night without her even knowing it. _Wham! _Who will it be next time?

Later, when she emerged from her room she felt like an empty cocoon- hollow and dry and willing to hear the whole tale of the death of Sirius Black.


End file.
